Adjustable-pressure heating.



PATENTED JAN. 3, 1905.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 26, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

PATENTED JAN 3, 1905. E. H. GOLD.

ADJUSTABLE PRESSURE HEATING.

APPLI'OATION FILED AUG. 26, 1904.

2 SHEETS-411E117. 2.

A 973mm Patented January 3, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

EGBERT H. GOLD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

ADJUSTABLE-PRESSURE HEATING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 779,358, dated January 3, 1905. Application filed August 26, 1904. Serial N0. 222,242.

To all whom, it m/oty concern:

Be it known that I, EGBER'I. H. GOLD, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable -Pressure Heating, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a heating method which, while suitable generally for heating purposes, is especially adapted to meet the requirements and exigencies of heating railway-cars.

Among the special objects of my invention is to provide such a method by means of which the various cars of a train may be heated alike and by means of which a constant temperature may be maintained within the cars regardless of the varying temperatures and pressures of the heating medium in the main or train pipe which supplies the radiating system in each car. This heating medium is commonly live steam supplied by the locomotive-boiler, and although this steam is supplied at a high pressure and high temperature it is well known that there is a wide variation to the pressure and temperature of the steam in the train-pipe, according to the condition of the fire in the locomotive and the work being done by the locomotive, also according to the position of the car in the train.

A further and special object of my present invention is to provide such a method which shall be so arranged that the heating medium within the radiating system in the cars may be automatically maintained at any desired temperature less than the temperature of the heating medium as it leaves the train-pipe to enter the radiating systems.

These and such other objects as may hereinafter appear are attained by my process, which may be conveniently practiced with the apparatus shown in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 indicates diagrammatically the radiating system of one side of a car, together with a portion of the train-pipe. Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section of my controlling apparatus; and Fig. 3 is a View, partly in vertical section, of my controlling apparatus.

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 indicates the floor of a car. 2 (shown in dotted lines) is a portion of the usual train-pipe extending beneath the car. 3 is a common form of manually-operated shut-off valve. 4 is a supply-pipe leading from the train-pipe to the radiator in the car. 5 is the casing of my control apparatus. 6 is a feed-pipe leading from said casing to the radiator. 7 is the radiator. 8 is the return-pipe. 9 is the casing for the blow-01f valve and for the adjustable-pressure controlvalve. 10 is the thermostat-casing. 11 is the drip-pipe, leading from the casing 5 to the thermostat-casing, and 12 is the dischargepipe, leading from the casing 9 to the atmosphere through the blow-off valve 12. The pipe 12,-which is open when there is no pressure in the system, is the blow-ofl pipe employed to clear the system before use and is closed by any suitable valve. Obviously the form of valve employed to close this pipe 12 is immaterial; but in Fig. 1 of the drawings I have chosen to illustrate it as being in the familiar form of vertical trap, the valve being closed by the expansion of a thermostat in the casing 12 under the influence of steam escaping through. pipe 12 and opened by the contraction of the thermostat when cooling, or in lieu of the thermostatic means above described the valve may be normally held open by spring-pressure and closed by pressure in the chamber 22. The casing 5 is divided by a partition 13 into an inlet-chamber 14 and an outlet-chamber 15. The supply-pipe 4 opens into the inlet-chamber 14. The opening from the pipe 4 into the chamber 14 is controlled by a valve 16. This valve 16 is mounted upon an arm 17, which is rigidly secured to a spindle 18. This spindle 18 is journaled at one end within the casing 5 and is also journaled Within a sleeve 19, said sleeve being mounted in the partition 13 and carrying a stuffing-box 20, through which passes the spindle 18. This stuffing-box or packing 20 makes a sufliciently tight joint between the chambers 14 and 15. The chamber 14 communicates with the radiator 7 through the supply-pipe 6. There is no direct communication between the inletchamber 14 and the outlet-chamber 15; but the outlet-chamber 15 communicates with the Ioo radiator 7 through the casing 9 and dischargepipe 8, the casing 9 and casing 5 being suitably connected, as by a short section of pipe 21, leading from the casing 9 to the chamber 15 and the casing 5. The casing 9 comprises two compartments 22 and 23. Obviously it is a more matter of convenience whether the compartments 22 and 23 are contained in one casing or in separate connected casings. The discharge-pipe 8, leading from the radiator, connects with the compartment 22, which is provided with an outlet-valve for the discharge of water of condensation, cold air, &c. This outlet-valve may be of any suitable construction. The chamber 22 is separated from the chamber 23 by a partition 29,provided with a port affording communication between said chambers. This port is normally but yieldingly closed in any suitable manneras, for example, by the valve 30, which is yieldingly held to its seat by the spring 31, said spring abutting at one end against the valve 30 and at the other end against an adjustable plug 32, which is screwed into the casing 9 and is locked in any given position by the lock-nut 33. However, any equivalent or familiar means of yieldingly closing the port between the chambers 22 and 23 may be used. With the structure shown it is obvious that the force with which the valve 30 is held to its seat may be adjusted by adjusting the position of the plug 32. The chamber 23 communicates through the pipe-section 21 with the outlet-chamber 15 of the casing 5. The outlet-chamber 15 communicates with the thermostat-casing 10-as, for example, through the pipe ll where, as shown, it is deemed desirable to mount the thermostat-casing 10 in an exposed position at some distance from the casing 5, so that the thermostat will be readily cooled. Extending into the chamber 15 is an arm 34, which is readily mounted upon the spindle 18. This arm 34 is in operative engagement with the thermostat. In the embodiment of my invention shown in Fig. 3 this is attained by having the arm 34 in operative engagement with a stem 35, which extends through the pipe 11 into the thermostat-casing 10 and engages a thermostat 36, which in the drawings is in the form of an expansible diaphragm containing a volatile fluid. The thermostat-casing 10 opens at its bottom to the atmosphere and is provided with the usual screw 37 for adjusting the tension of the thermostat 36. As shown in Fig. 3, the stem 35 is guided within the pipe 11 by pins 38 and is guided at its upper end by projecting into a guideway 39, formed therefor in the top of the casing 5.

With the form of apparatus shown and described the operation will be as follows: Steam from the train-pipe will pass through the supply-pipe 4, past the valve 16, into the chamber 14 within the casing 5, thence through the pipe 6 to the radiator, and from the radiator through the outlet-pipe 8. The inflowing steam will force out the cold air and any water of condensation which may be within the system, and the blow-off valve located within the casing 9 being open the cold air and water of condensation will freely escape, while the pipes of the system fill with steam.

However, although such an outlet is provided within the radiating system is sufficient toovercome the expansion of the spring 31, the valve 30 will be forced open, whereupon the live steam at a high temperature and under pressure will fill the outlet-chamber 15 and will expand the thermostat 36, thereby lifting the stem 35 and the arm 34, rocking the spindle 18 and closing the valve 16, with the result that the infiow of steam from the train-pipe is immediately shut off.' The pressure within the chamber 22 having been lowered, the valve 30 will be reseated and the radiating system will be filled with steam at the desired pressure and temperature. The flow of steam from the chamber 22 to the thermostat having been shut off, the thermostat will quickly cool and contract, thereby reopening the valve 16 and again admitting steam from the train-pipe and increasing the pressure until the valve 30 is opened and the steam rushing through the chambers 23 and 15 and carrying with it any accumulated water of condensation will again expand the thermostat, and so on. However, it will be found in actual practice that ordinarily instead of the intermittent action above described the parts of the apparatus will so adjust themselves with relation to each other that the pressure within the system will suffiee to keep the valve 30 slightly unseated, thus providing a thoroughfare through which there is a slight but constant escape of very hot steam. This small quantity of steam as it escapes will be materially cooled between the valve 30 and the thermostat 36, but will retain enough of its heat to keep the thermostat 36 partially expanded, and thereby keep the valve 16 partially closed, so as to provide a thoroughfare which will admit just enough live steam at high pressure from the trainpipe to maintain the desired pressure in the radiating system. Obviously by adjusting the means which holds the valve 30 to its seat the pressure within the radiating system can be varied as desired.

It is evident from the foregoing explanation that numerous variations in the apparatus used may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, the essence of which consists in utilizing the pressure in the system to open a yielding and preferably an adjustable obstruction by which the heating medium would otherwise be kept from operative relation with the thermostat which controls the operation of the inlet-valve. WVith this understanding of the fundamental characteristics of my invention numerous means may be devised for carrying it out and for adapting it to various conditions and services; but the exact form, character, or position of the thermostat, or of the inlet-valve, or of the operative connections between the valve and the thermostat, or of the yielding obstruction interposed between the thermostat and the inletvalve, or of like details does not matter. Neither is it material as to how the resistance afforded by such obstruction to the pressure within the system may be adjusted. These are all mere matters of detail, choice, and mechanical skill.

I do not here claim the apparatus shown, as that forms the subject-matter of my Patent No. 771,628, dated October 4, 1904.

1. Providing a confined body of a heating medium, providing a supply therefor at a higher pressure, utilizing the pressure of the confined body to open communication with a zone of lower pressure and utilizing the thermostatic condition of said zone to control communication between said confined body and said supply.

2. Providing a confined body of a heating medium having an outlet to a zone of lower pressure, which outlet is normally closed by yielding means, also providinga supply there for at a higher pressure, utilizing the pressure of said confined body of heating medium to open said outlet to said zone of lower pressure, and utilizing the thermostatic condition of said zone to control communication between said confined body and said supply.

3. Providing a confined body of a heating medium having an outlet to a zone of lower pressure, providing a yielding obstruction of adjustable resistance to normally close said outlet, providing a supply for said confined body at a higher pressure, utilizing the pressure of said confined body of heating medium to open said outlet, and utilizing the thermostatic condition of said zone of lower pressure to control communication between said confined body and said supply.

4. The art of heating, which comprises providing an inclosed body of steam having an outlet to a substantially inclosed space, which in turn has an outlet to the atmosphere, providing a body of steam at higher pressure than said first-named body of steam, said last-named body of steam communicating with said first named body of steam and serving as a supply therefor, normally closing said outlet from said first-named body of steam with a yielding obstruction, utilizing the pressure of said first named body of steam to open said outlet, thereby'permitting a flow of steam into said substantially inclosed space and utilizing the thermostatic condition of said substantially inclosed space to control communication between said first-named body of steam and said last-named body of steam.

v EGBERT H. GOLD.

Witnesses:

F. H. DRURY, M. E. SHIELDS. 

